On the feeding of copepods on Thalassiosira partheneia from the Northwest African upwelling area

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Abstract
Copepod feeding on the colony-building diatom T. partheneia was studied in spring 1975 in the Northwest African upwelling area. Healthy, whole colonies of T. partheneia (diameter .apprx. 1 cm) were offered as food as well as single cells (diameter .apprx. 9 .mu.m) after disintegration of the colonies. Comparative experiments were carried out with dinoflagellate Scrippsiella trochoidea. None of the 11 copepod species [Calanoides carinatus, .female. Calanus helgolandicus, .female. Rhincalanus nasutus, .female. Eucalanus crassus, .female. Acartia clausi, .female. Centropages chierchiae .female. C. chierchiae, .male. Temora stylifera, .female. T. stylifera, .male. Anomalocera patersoni, .female. Candacia armata, .female. Oncaea conifera .female., Corycaeus sp. studied was able to feed on the entire colony. Feeding on single cells after disintegration of the colonies was found for 4 copepod spp. studied. The actual quantity of food intake ranged from 14.7-124.0% body C/day. The lowest values were obtained for C. helgolandicus, the highest for T. stylifera.